Antidepressants make shrimp act crazy

Seems that the active ingredient in antidepressants like Prozac boosts serotonin in the shrimps’ nervous system and make them wiggle away from safe, dark waters toward the light, where they’re more likely to be devoured by predators.

And because researchers don’t think Prozac has the same mood-elevating effect in shrimp as it does in people, the crustaceans don’t even get to die happy.

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All antidepressants are equally effective

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If your doctor is pushing one type of happy pill on you, beware: There is no evidence to suggest that one antidepressant is more effective than another at making you feel better, according to guidelines from the American College of Physicians.

Cost and side effectsincluding nausea and weight gaindo vary, however, and should play a role when choosing a medication.

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Their cost varies wildly

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Although the efficacy of antidepressants is very similar, the price is not.

A monthly supply of duloxetine (Cymbalta)a drug that is still patent protectedcosts about $300, according to figures compiled by Consumer Reports; an equivalent supply of a generic version of fluoxetine (Prozac) runs about $30 a month.

Gregory Simon, MD, a psychiatrist and researcher at the Group HealthResearch Institute, in Seattle, says, “I can say with 100% certainty: The more expensive one is no better.”

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Antidepressants are good (and bad) for your sex life

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While the libido-deflating effects of a class of antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have been well documented, another side effect hasn’t been: Doctors are increasingly prescribing SSRIs off-label to treat men for premature ejaculation based on the medication’s side effect of delayed ejaculation.

A 2006 study found that men who took the SSRI dapoxetine (Priligy) one to three hours before intercourse had ejaculation times of over three minutes, on average, compared with less than two for the placebo group.

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Some men’s libidos never bounce back

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Low libido, erectile dysfunction, decreased genital sensitivity, and difficulties reaching orgasm are some of the sexual side effects reported by patients taking SSRIs.

Doctors always assumed these problems would resolve themselves once the patient stopped taking the medication, but several small studiesand a growing group of patientssay the effects can continue indefinitely.

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Antidepressants could help fibromyalgia

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The use of antidepressantsincluding SSRIs like Prozac and especially older antidepressants like tricyclics and tetracyclicsis associated with less pain, fewer sleep disturbances, and less depressed moods in people who suffer from fibromyalgia, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

In fact, two of the three drugs approved by the FDA for fibromyalgia are antidepressants.